Video Games As Art

Title: Zelda's Slumber; Dreaming of The Kiss                                              

Artist: Rich Pellegrino                                                              

Date: 2011                                                                              

Medium & Size: Acrylic and gouache on hardboard 16 x 20" (40.64 x 50.8 cm) 

(exhibited at the 2011 Super iam8bit show: http://iam8bit.com/the-art-show/)

I recently presented a paper on the importance of examining video games and video game inspired art in relation to the discipline of art history and the genre's contributions to our cultural aesthetic at the 2012 IPSA Conference (Illinois Political Science Association).  If you are interested you can read the full paper on the Eastern Illinois University website here: http://castle.eiu.edu/ipsa/machview.php

May inspiration and creativity be with you!

Awesome Computer Case Mods

Although not technically art for some, to me these computer case mods seem like functional and fun sculpture, enjoy!

More, including Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, and Aztec themed mods found in the article here:
http://games.yahoo.com/photos/masterful-case-mods-slideshow/intro-photo-1336753435.html

May inspiration and creativity be with you!

Forever Marilyn is Leaving Chicago!

I hate to say it to the super Marilyn fans out there...but thank God!  I think this is one of the most hideous sculptures ever made, and I am glad that somebody else's city has to put up with it, her giant underpants, and all the cheesy tourist photos instead of Chicago.
http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/Marilyn-Monroe-Statue-Leaves-Chicago-Monday-150411285.html

Or this one who says it well:
http://www.chicagonow.com/2012/05/the-marilyn-monroe-statue-is-leaving-finally-2/

May inspiration and creativity be with you!

Louise Bourgeois

Title: Maman (“Mother” in French)

Artist: Louise Bourgeois

Date: 1999

Medium & Size: Bronze, stainless steel, and marble, 29.4 x 32.2 x 38.1’ (8.95 x 9.8 x 11.6 m)

Location: Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao (Spain)

Bourgeois has said, “The Spider is an ode to my mother. She was my best friend. Like a spider, my mother was a weaver. My family was in the business of tapestry restoration, and my mother was in charge of the workshop. Like spiders, my mother was very clever. Spiders are friendly presences that eat mosquitoes. We know that mosquitoes spread diseases and are therefore unwanted. So, spiders are helpful and protective, just like my mother. “

One of the best television series on contemporary art is Art21: Art in the Twenty-First Century on PBS. There is an excellent section on Louise Bourgeois that I highly recommend viewing.

Watch Identity on PBS. See more from ART:21.

May inspiration and creativity be with you!

Bacteria Cleans Art

I came across this interesting conservation article online and just had to share it with the blogosphere. Restorers have found a safe and interesting way to use bacteria to clean frescoes.
http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/jun2011/2011-06-15-02.html
Art restoration expert Rosa María Montes applies bacteria to a fresco in Valencia's Church of Santos Juanes. (Photo courtesy Polytechnic University of Valencia)May inspiration and creativity be with you!